


they say it's darkest before the dawn.

by cactsu



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Prom, Slow Dancing, Songfic, two best friends worried about attending college on two different sides of the country
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 22:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12285585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cactsu/pseuds/cactsu
Summary: high school shyan au where shane gets accepted to a university on the west coast, far away from illinois, and ryan is deeply concerned because who would he be without his best friend by his side?





	they say it's darkest before the dawn.

**Author's Note:**

> a quick little thing i wanted to write because i got cute shyan vibes from one of my new favorite songs. i highkey have writer’s block so this is pretty bad tbh but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> Mood Music: [The Midnight – Sunset](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2D4iCzRW7E)

_Sunsets, no regrets,_

_First chance, last dance, stuck in the middle._

~

At 19 years old, Shane Madej’s idea of prom had always been “sweaty, boring, and full of teenage angst”.

Now that he was experiencing it firsthand, he wouldn’t exactly say that his opinion had changed; it was just that spending it with Ryan Bergara made it so much _better_.

“Do you have a date?” Ryan had asked one day, as they walked home together after school (such was a perk of living right across the street from your best friend).

“Nah,” Shane replied with a shake of the head. “I was gonna ask Sara, but ol’ Brento Bean beat me to it. I think I’m just… not gonna go, if I’m honest.”

“Oh.” Ryan frowned down at the sidewalk beneath his feet, sounding genuinely disappointed. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before speaking up again. “I don’t have a date, so I probably won’t go, either. I was really looking forward to it.”

“I thought you were going with Helen?” Shane glanced down at the shorter boy, brows furrowed in confusion.

“I was, but she had to cancel. Not in a bad way or anything, like, she didn’t bail on me or anything like that. Her aunt had a skiing accident in Colorado, so she’s going out of town to visit and take care of her for a bit with her mom. She kept apologizing, and I had to keep telling her it was fine. It’s a family emergency, and by no means was I gonna be mad that she cares for her family, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I hope her aunt’s okay, though.”

“Yeah, so do I.” Ryan seemed to ponder something as he paused. “You know… since we don’t have dates, we could just… go together.”

Shane’s heart skipped a beat at Ryan’s words; he slowed his pace, then stopped altogether, gawking with wide, surprised eyes. “Wait, really? You’d really wanna go to prom with _me_?”

Ryan, who’d noticed Shane’s faltered pace, also stopped, standing only about a couple of feet ahead. He gave him a small smile as he shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, yeah. You’re my best friend.”

Shane had blushed and timidly accepted his friend’s proposal, silently beaming to himself the rest of the way home, and still beaming when he tried (and failed) to fall asleep that night.

Now, here they were. It was prom night, and it was almost surreal to Shane how absolutely non-horrible it was. (Ryan’s dance moves were pretty horrible, though, but endearingly so.) They danced, jumped, and laughed at each other’s silly dance moves for what seemed like forever; at some point, however, the atmosphere had wound down as the face-tempo music faded out and a slow song began to play from the speakers. They glanced around awkwardly at the other teens breaking up into couples, shooting each other nervous glances, then Shane held his hand out for Ryan with a polite bow.

“May I have this dance, sir?”

Ryan smiled and blushed as he slowly took Shane’s hand. “Sure. But be warned, I’ve, uh… never slow-danced before.”

“No? Gosh, I thought your erratic spasms were clear indications that you had at least _some_ experience,” Shane smirked. Ryan rolled his eyes, blush deepening as he mustered out a small “shut up”. Shane laughed as they got into position. Ryan’s eyes were downcast, staring anxiously at their feet. The taller boy had to lean down a bit to recapture his gaze.

“It’s okay, it’s easy. I’ll lead, alright?” He gave Ryan’s waist a small, reassuring squeeze. “I’ve got you.”

Ryan noticeably relaxed at the reassurance, and he replied with a small nod and a smile. With Shane in the lead, they began to fall into a slow, steady waltz, stepping in time with the music. Ryan fumbled a few times, hushed apologies following every time, but Shane really didn’t mind. It was cute, and he got the hang of it eventually, with no fumbles. When he realized this, his head shot up, and he beamed up at Shane with wide, excited eyes.

“Hey, I’m— I’m actually doing it!”

Shane smiled affectionately, soft eyes crinkled at the corners as he watched his best friend with stars in his eyes. “You’re doing great.”

Ryan giggled and leaned in so his face was nestled into Shane’s neck. Shane blanched for a moment, slightly taken aback by the contact, then recollected himself, rested his chin on top of Ryan’s head, and brought their waltz down to a slow sway. He felt Ryan’s warm breath on his skin as he sighed contently.

Shane’s mind was racing even more than it normally was. In the week leading up to the dance, he’d shouted the mantra at himself again and again; he wasn’t going to have any regrets tonight. He was going to gather his courage and do the one thing he’d wanted to do for the longest time. Nothing was going to stop him. _You can do this, Madej. Don’t back down. No regrets._

He was about to steadily pull away, mentally preparing himself for the shot he was about to take. But when Ryan lifted his head from his neck and gave him a grin so big and bright it melted his heart, he broke and dropped the idea completely. He just couldn’t bring himself to take that risk, to possibly ruin the moment. Ryan looked so beautiful and _happy_ , and the last thing he wanted was to bring a frown to that face.

 _Okay, maybe_ one _regret. Next time, when the moment’s right, I will for sure._

 

* * *

 

_Even bad boys know good love,_

_You taste so sweet it hurts a little._

~

“Welp, we did it.”

Shane nodded. “Yep.”

“We made it out of high school alive.”

“We sure did.”

“I’m proud of us.”

“Me, too.”

Graduation day had come and gone without a hitch. They’d both been invited to countless grad parties after the ceremony, but decided that they’d much rather spend time with just each other, per the usual. They sat together in the grass of a local park (undoubtedly getting their rental suits dirty), gazing at the slowly setting sun as it cast golden and magenta rays over the Chicago skyline. Ryan lay across Shane’s criss-crossed legs, head resting on his thigh as he picked at the blades of grass, while Shane lackadaisically carded his fingers through Ryan’s dark locks. Neither spoke for a while, simply enjoying the serenity and each other’s company, then Ryan sighed heavily.

“I’m really gonna miss you, y’know.”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Shane replied, fingertips brushing Ryan’s scalp in a way that made him grunt softly and settle deeper into his lap. “There’s still the possibility that you could be coming to university with me in L.A.”

“Yeah, but there’s also the possibility that I _won’t_ , because I wasn’t good enough to get accepted, like you were.” Ryan hesitated slightly before sitting up from his comfortable position in Shane’s lap, pulling his knees to his chin and wrapping his arms around his shins. He gazed at the ground sadly; Shane raised a concerned brow and wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulders.

“Ryan Steven Bergara, I will put every ounce of money I possess on you getting into UCLA. You know why?”

Ryan gave him a tiny shrug in response, avoiding his eyes.

“Because you’re absolutely brilliant. You are so smart and bright and so, _so_ amazing at what you do. They’d be fucking stupid to not accept you. And if they don’t— if they’re _honestly_ dumb enough not to accept you— then I’ll go wherever you go.”

The younger boy snorted, finally lifting his gaze to look at Shane with immense skepticism. “You know you can’t do that, Shane. You worked so hard to get accepted into your dream college. Your parents would be fucking pissed, dude.”

“Let ‘em be pissed, then. I’m not goin’ anywhere you’re not.” Shane frowned, eyes darkening in stubborn determination. Ryan rolled his eyes and huffed out a light laugh before pressing his forehead to Shane’s shoulder.

“You’re such an idiot, you know that?”

Shane chuckled and tightened his arm around him, pulling him closer. “Maybe that’s true, but you’re stuck with me.”

Ryan lifted his head and gazed at his best friend for a small moment, something wistful in his dark brown eyes. “I’m okay with that.”

Shane suddenly felt incredibly breathless, heart palpitating sporadically in his chest as they stared at each other in anticipated silence. Ryan’s eyes fell to Shane’s lips, and he bit his own bottom lip in desire. The adrenaline that rushed through Shane’s veins at the sight drove him nearly insane. With a surge of bravery, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ryan’s in a soft kiss. Something akin to a literal electric shock passed between the two at the contact; Ryan inhaled sharply, placing a hand on Shane’s chest. Shane went to gently cup his face with the hand that wasn’t resting on his shoulder. _This is it. This is finally fucking happening._

Eventually, they pulled away for air, chests heaving and cheeks burning red. Shane watched the way the setting sun’s light hit Ryan, soft shadows and warm hues sharpening his features. It was _breathtaking_ , as if he wasn’t breathtaking enough already.

“Ryan…”

Ryan was still gazing at Shane’s lips, entranced. “Yeah…?”

“I, um… I—”

The sound of Ryan’s phone ringing in his back pocket— the Ghostbusters theme song, of course, because he was a huge fucking nerd— cut him off and caused them both to jump and pull slightly away from each other. Ryan, cheeks flushing even brighter now, scrambled for his phone, reading the name on the screen as he pulled it out. He looked at it in confusion before pressing the green ‘accept’ button and raising it to his ear.

“Dad?” He answered. Shane scratched the back of his head awkwardly, watching Ryan as he spoke to his father on the other end of the line. “H-Hey. Yeah, I’m fine; still with Shane.”

He paused as he listened to the man’s words. “I did?” He swallowed before continuing slowly, with nervous caution. “What does it say?”

When his hand flew to cover his mouth, Shane wished he could hear the other side of the conversation. “Oh my gosh. You’re _kidding_. This is a joke.” Ryan’s jaw went slack as he gawked at the news. Shane noticed that tears were falling down his cheeks, glinting in the sunlight, and he tensed, obviously concerned.

“Really? Oh my god! I can’t— I can’t believe it! I’m— wow. Okay. Okay, we’ll talk about it when I get back home tonight. Thanks for letting me know, Dad, love you. Okay, bye.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up, then turned to Shane, a watery smile tugging at the corners of his lips. A cross between a sob and laugh escaped him, and he leaned into the other boy, head falling to rest on his chest. Shane instinctively wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into his warm embrace.

“Ry?” His voice was barely above a whisper as the younger cried into his shirt. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s more than okay,” Ryan sniffed, tilting his head upwards to gaze up at him with all the joy and love in his soul. “Everything’s _perfect_.”

Shane’s cheeks flushed as he gulped. “What did your dad say?”

“An envelope with my name on it came in today.” He grinned widely, another sob-laugh punctuating his words. “I got _accepted_ , Shane! I’m going to UCLA!”

“…Wait.” Shane blinked at him, dumbfounded, before a smile started to slowly pull at his lips. “Wait, seriously?”

“ _Yes!_ ”

“Oh my god, that’s— that’s amazing!” Shane exclaimed, hugging him with an excited squeeze. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ryan’s head. “I’m not saying I told you so, but…” he trailed off, grinning smugly when Ryan shot him a playfully sharp glance.

“Whatever,” he muttered, sitting up a bit and looking at him lovingly. “Maybe kissing you is good luck.”

“Maybe it is. Petition to test that theory?”

“Signed.”

“Good.” He barely got the word out before Ryan was grabbing his face and kissing him. They both giggled into the kiss, and they broke apart, beaming. One of Shane’s hands was resting on Ryan’s hip underneath his sweatshirt, his thumb rubbing the soft skin there soothingly.

“I’m proud of you.”

“I’m proud of _us_ , remember?”

“Yeah,” Shane said as he glanced at the now near-completely set sun with a soft smile. “Yeah, _us_.”

**Author's Note:**

> i know absolutely nothing about chicago if you couldn’t tell. also; very minor lyric change from “girls” to “boys” for obvious reasons haha  
> find me [here](https://51wheezes.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!


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